The word Geneteira has a power that is difficult to describe. Every time I hear it, see it written or is said by people who are not necessarily Greek, but who deeply love Greece, I feel touched. Because this word does not belong only to a place, but to a feeling, to a common memory. Her name carries the beginning and the continuation, the root and the opening. Every time it is pronounced, it seems to remind us of something that we all know inside. Whatever has roots, has a reason to flourish. And perhaps this is ultimately Geneteira’s most beautiful achievement: that the word became action, and the action began to travel.”
When Christina Tripodianakis’s narrative begins like this, it is certain that the rest will have a lot of interest…
What about the highlights of your journey, which were the important steps that brought you to where you are today?
My career began in communication, but I realized early on that I was more interested in its creative side, where strategy meets storytelling and aesthetics turns into language. I have always been moved by how an idea can become an experience, how an emotion can be captured in an image or how a place can acquire a voice through a narrative. Subsequently, I worked on projects of different natures, from cultural to touristic and corporate, which however had a common denominator, the need to tell a story with substance and identity. I believe that we create culture not only through the arts, but also through the way we work, communicate, and make sure to leave a mark on everything we do.
Today, my work focuses on developing creative strategies and narratives that connect people, places, and ideas through a modern, aesthetic, and reflective approach. In this context, I have also integrated artificial intelligence, not as a substitute for human inspiration, but as a tool that expands our storytelling capabilities. It helps me create new forms of expression and present stories, brands, and places in a way that preserves their soul and authenticity. The awarding of the documentary, from the Tourism Awards 2025 by Boussias, which I created with my team, and of which I am extremely proud, “Centuries and stature hold walking in Crete” was a special moment for me. It was the first time I felt that my work touched the public through the truth of the place and respect for memory. That is where the need to create something broader was born, something that would include other people with shared sensibilities.
How did the idea for Geneteira begin? Tell us the story of the birth of this creative venture
I often wonder what makes us return to our roots. Is it the need to remember or the need to continue? Maybe both. Geneteira was born from this question. It did not begin as a project or a professional ambition, but as an inner need to keep alive everything that raised me, my grandmother’s voice, the light of Crete, the stories that were heard around a table. I grew up in Rethymno, in one of the oldest families in the place, where every object had its own story. Our house was full of family heirlooms, jewelry, handicrafts, woodcarvings, and old furniture that had been passed down from generation to generation.
My grandmother was the first person to show me what it means to create something with love and patience, to transform the everyday into something precious. My mother learned this delicacy from her and passed it on to me in her own way, through small acts of care and diligence. This chain of transmission, from grandmother to mother and from mother to me, became the occasion for me to understand what the word “homeland” really means. It is not only the place where we are born, but also the way we continue to exist through our people, their stories, and their memory. When I had my daughter, the need to pass on this heritage to her became even more intense.
Thus Geneteira was born, as a living meeting place of the old and the new, a community that attempts to highlight memory, tradition and art through modern forms of expression. We want to illuminate the essence of Greek culture wherever it lives, in Greece or abroad, and to bring together people who carry within them the same sense of continuity. Geneteira is, above all, an attempt to keep this memory bright, to make it a living practice in the modern world.
Having an aesthetic that stands out, what is your approach to the various faces of Greek culture?
I am interested in the truth that does not shout. I want every image, every narrative, to have its own silence, its own breath. Greek culture does not need to be represented
There is a dynamic in going back to the roots. What is the ideal way to approach it for the modern audience?
I believe that honesty is the key. People don’t need to see something romanticized, but something real. If you approach tradition with respect and without pretense, then you can even speak to the new generation. For me, the ideal way is to combine the old with the new, to allow memory to coexist with the modern gaze without overshadowing it. This is what Geneteira is trying to do, to show that continuity is possible and beautiful.
What is it that you are most interested in achieving and how you will make it happen. Give us an example
What interests me most is to create a living meeting place through Geneteira, where people with common values and sensibilities can connect creatively. We want to unite memory, modern creation and collaboration, in a true and meaningful way. Our goal is not just to highlight our cultural heritage, but to give it continuity, to make it part of our modern life and aesthetics. We are currently in contact with cultural and educational institutions, organizations and creators who share the same vision. We are looking for ways to join forces and create joint actions that have duration and substance. We are not interested in quick impressions, but in true synergies that leave a mark. Geneteira wants to function as an open invitation to collaboration for all those who believe that tradition, art and innovation can coexist creatively. We want to mobilize a wider community of people who love culture and show that there is always a way to say something new, even when talking about something so old.
Is there a story behind each of your activities that would be interesting to tell us?
Behind each action of Geneteira there is a story that begins with memory. For me, this memory always takes the form of my grandmother. She was a woman with rare nobility and an artistic perception of life. She created, but not only with her hands; she created through the way she lived. Her aesthetics were present in every detail, in how she took care of the house, in how she welcomed people, in the way she spoke or decorated a table.
Everything had measure, rhythm and respect. My mother continued this attitude to life, giving it her own more modern form. From there I learned that creation is not only an act, it is also a presence. That memory does not reside only in objects, but in manners, in behaviors, in details that carry care and consistency. This care, when repeated across generations, becomes culture. Geneteira is based on exactly this: the belief that art and culture are born from the attitude of man towards life. From memory that becomes action and from action that leaves behind a trace of kindness.
With Crete as a base, is your place primarily what excites you?
Crete is always the starting point and the return. It is the place that has taught me rhythm, patience and the value of truth. From here I draw my strength and inspiration. It is not just a place, it is a way of thinking and an attitude to life. The people of Crete have a unique way of keeping memory alive in everyday life, with their language, habits, generosity and this for me is the most beautiful example of culture. Crete is the base from which I start and the filter through which I see the world. It is a place of contrasts, with light and silence, strength and delicacy.
These contrasts taught me how you can create with roots and freedom at the same time. Perhaps that is why my first major work, the documentary “Centuries and stature hold walking in Crete”, was born out of a need to look again at this place not as a resident, but as a narrator. I wanted to understand in depth how time, tradition and human dignity coexist here. Through the documentary I got to know better the soul of Crete and the people who keep it alive through art, language, and their attitude towards life. This experience, this contact with the core of the place, was decisive for the creation of Geneteira. Because Crete is not only my origin, it is also the way I perceive culture as continuity, as care and as a common place of memory.
In the short life of Geneteira, tell us a story for each category, something you have already achieved for memory and heritage, for contemporary creation and for connection and collaboration.
Although Geneteira is still in its infancy, the most important thing we have already achieved is the resonance and emotion that its presentation caused to the public. From the first moment we received messages from people who recognized in it something of their own, a sense of familiarity, a desire to reconnect with the part of themselves that often remains silent. Memory was expressed through this first glimpse; through the words of those who said that Geneteira made them remember their own grandmother, their place, their roots. This human response is the most substantial confirmation that we are on the right path.
Contemporary creation was seen in the way we approached our identity and presentation. The aesthetics, the images, the language, everything was designed with care and moderation, so as to capture the old through a clear, contemporary perspective. It was important for us to prove that you can talk about tradition with sensitivity and at the same time with a modern perception. The connection and collaboration were evident in the way that people from different places began to communicate with us, to ask questions, to propose ideas, to want to participate. This natural mobilization showed us that there is a need for something like this, for a meeting place that unites memory with the future.
How important it is in our days to meet people who share a common language and aesthetics
It is very important, perhaps more than ever. True creation is not born in isolation, but through meeting. When you find people who share the same way of thinking, the same sensitivity and sense of beauty, then things take on a flow. You don’t need to explain much, because there is a deep understanding. From these meetings ideas, collaborations, and lasting projects are born. I deeply believe that beauty, aesthetics and memory can function as a common language between people from different fields. Geneteira wants to become such a place, where these encounters will flourish and give new shape to contemporary Greek culture.
What is your definition of beauty
Beauty for me is the harmony between the real and the essential. It is not found in perfection, but in the sense of completeness that something leaves when you face it or experience it. It is that moment when everything falls silent and something inside you recognizes the deeper meaning. Beauty can be a look, a gesture, an old object, a piece of light on a wall.
It can also be the simplicity of a person who does their job with respect and consistency. For me, beauty is not something you pursue, it is something that is revealed when there is truth. Perhaps, ultimately, beauty is a form of kindness. The way we stand before things, people, time. It is an act of care, and therein, I think, lies its deepest meaning.
Give us an idea of the beautiful things that follow in your plans
At this time, we are focusing on giving Geneteira the space it deserves. We continue our contacts with cultural and educational institutions, with creators and artists from all over Greece, and we are looking for ways to create meaningful synergies. We want every step to have a reason for existence and continuity.
At the same time, we are exploring how technology and modern storytelling can connect with our cultural memory. We are not interested in simply promoting Greek culture, but in reinterpreting it with respect, with a look that inspires and moves. Our goal is to create works that will touch both the Greek and the foreign visitor, works that will speak the language of the soul. I want each new project to be an opportunity to talk about Greece again through its essence, with sensitivity and aesthetics.
And of course, to be an occasion for meeting. We will be happy to meet people who feel close to this vision, who love culture and want to contribute or suggest ideas. Geneteira is a community open to all who believe that roots, when shared, bloom again. Anyone who wishes can contact us through our page on social networks or the community e-mail; because each new voice is another part of this continuity.
What do you consider authentic nowadays ?
